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1. Arrived at Dr. Y's office about 20 minutes prior to the procedure. They want you to come a bit early so you can finish the paperwork if needed and make your final payment. I washed my hair that morning since my procedure was scheduled for 3:00 that afternoon. You start taking your medrol dose pack that morning (be sure to read the directions on how to take them). Since I had a history of cold sores I started on Valtrex two days prior to the procedure. We didn't want another ugly mess like I had after the CO2 laser...ugh!

2. Cassandra calls you back and you go into the surgical room. Once you are in there she gives you the cap for your hair, tells you to strip from the waist up (ladies you keep your bra on) and then you put on the surgical gown. You then wash your face with the anti-bacterial wash, rinse and pat dry. Cassandra comes back in and takes pre-op photos. Dr. Y came in to see me after that and we chatted for a bit. Then it was time to get rolling!

3. Cassandra came back in and gives you one valium to hold under your tongue and then you get 2 shots of Demerol in each hip. You lay back and prepare for the peel under your eyes.

4. First Dr. Y swabs the area with an alcohol swab. The fumes will make you tear. He tells you to make sure and hold your eyes open when he swabs with the acid so none gets in your eyes. He makes several swabs under one eye and then places cool gauze over the area. Cassandra is holding a fan so it blows some cool air to this area. The procedure is then repeated for the opposite side. It does sting, but you'll live....loll.

5. After the eyes ice packs are held against your cheeks to prepare you for the dermabrasion. I found the most uncomfortable part of the entire procedure was the freezing spray. I did not like that very much, but once again it is bearable, just uncomfortable. Dr. Y goes one section at a time...freezing...Cassandra holds the skin very taught...then the planning with the brush. It is very quick and although you can hear the wire brush, I did not feel any discomfort. Keep in mind Cassandra is really holding your face, at times it feels like your skin is going to stretch off. The freezing spray on my nose was the worst part for me, but even that was not terrible. It will be over faster than you think.

6. Once the resurfacing is complete your entire face will feel like it is stinging and on fire. Dr. Y places strips of gauze soaked in xylocaine all over your face.....ahhhh. After several minutes Cassandra will bandage you up to look like the invisible man. The bandage does not leave a lot of mouth room, so think about what you will eat in advance. I lived off of mashed potatoes.

7. I went back each day at 8:30 am for a dressing change. I advised taking a dose of Tylenol, etc prior to your trip. This will take the edge off of any discomfort during the cleaning process. Make sure to bring your toothbrush and hairbrush to these visits. I also found that using a baby toothbrush (the kind that fits on your finger) allowed me to brush my teeth while the mask was still on my face.

8. Right now I am an oozing mess of Vaseline. I will be glad when this phase ends...lol. The new skin is rapidly appearing. I am mostly pink with some bloody areas. From the Vaseline/shaving cream phase you move to the dove soap/eucerin lotion and then to cetaphil before you resume your normal routine. Once the pink skin forms remember SUNSCREEN so you don't damage your pigment cells.

I will post pictures soon. I will also add anything that I remember. Ask any questions!

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animegirl, your skin looks great in the pics i have seen on your site. why did you decide to have another dermabrasion. also, where are you from, did you have to fly to dr. y's area and stay at a hotel or was it local for you?

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Thank you for your honesty on the pain sector of this. I knew it had to be somewhat more painful then others have described. I mean this can't be a walk in the park.... you're face is getting brushed off with a wire brush. Sounds bearable tho.

Do you think this method was more or less painful than the dermabrasions you've had prior by different doctors/methods.

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(1) What do you do to keep your skin from breaking out after the procedure? Because it is such an invasive method of removing scars, you want to keep your skin absolutely pimple free afterward. I know my skin is still prone to breakouts when I do anything somewhat aggressive.

(2) Will he still be working next year? And I believe you said you had to put up half the cost upon booking the appointment?

(3) Weren't you scared after you had your first one done? I told my mom about the procedure and showed her pictures and she said "I'd be terrified and thinking oh what have I done". You have to admit for the first couple of days the skin looks like...well....badly injured. I had laser eye surgery and for the first couple of days I was thinking ohhhhh, I hope my vision doesn't stay like this! Of course it didn't and now I see 20/20.

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I'm glad that all went well for you and that you were able to go ahead and have it done. I was a little worried for you because of the hurricane situation, so am happy that you didn't have to deal with too much of that.

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dolmal: I would check with your doctor regarding any vitamins you are taking prior to surgery.

scarred4life?: I had this dermabrasion to smooth over the areas where I had the punch floats. I live in Alabama so it was a quick drive to New Orleans for me. We stayed at the Clarion Grand Boutique on St. Charles.

portlandboy23: LOL! I promise you will survive, I even went shopping at Target the Thursday after surgery! Freaked a few people out, but hey it's getting close to Halloween.

This method was more painful than my other surgeries just because I was out cold for those. It is bearable, but it is painful at times. Just prepare yourself for that and you will do fine. I'm telling you the worst part for me was the freezing spray, the wire brush caused no discomfort. You will do just fine.

Holls77: Full face dermabrasion with Dr. Y is $4500.00 plus the consult fee..I think it was $155. If you want any punch floats done prior to the dermabrasion for ice pick/boxcars..it is $60.00 per float.

amnesiac:I will be updating with new pictures as necessary. I am looking forward to the end of the slime phase as well.

Mare: After your skin fully heals you will probably have some breakouts just from all of the vaseline, etc. Dr. Y said you can dab your acne meds on these areas as needed. I will use zinc oxide to spot treat until my skin can tolerate my benzaclin. I also found with all of my other dermabrasions my "normal" breakouts tended to decrease.

Dr. Y, God willing, will still be working next year. He said he has no immediate plans to retire. You have to put down a $2000.00 deposit to hold the surgery date and the other $2500.00 is due the day of the surgery.

I was so young when I had the first one I didn't have enough knowledge to be freaked out...lol. I just went in and had it done. After the first one, the rest were a breeze. No jitters with this one either, because I totally trust Dr. Y. and Cassandra.

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What's up with that one darker spot under your right eye? And how can there not be a noticeable difference between your dermabraded skin and the skin around your eyes? Why do you think it's taken so many dermabrasions? How severe was your origional scarring?

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